Thursday, February 11, 2010

Growing in Confidence

Editing Process: Polishing the Beginning
Favorite Book of the Month: Gregor the Overlander By: Suzanne Collins

I have taken a short break from editing for sensory detail and have turned instead to re-polishing, if that is a word, the first 50 pages. So far things are going well. Although a few days ago I spent an hour crafting this paragraph only to realize it was all backstory and I had to cut it. I sat there for a moment wondering if I could get away with it. There were only four or five sentences.... Instead I gave myself a few seconds to savor the newness of my paragraph and then cut the cord and removed it. Today I feel no regrets.

So here is my question. Is the reason it take most writers so long to get published because of how long they have been writing? Do all those years of trying to find your voice, your plot and your genre lead to an increase in confidence? Then, once you know who you are, your confidence sells your story for you.

When I look back there were probably years of my writing career where I would have kept that paragraph, never recognizing it for what it was. Just as there were years of writing experiments, most only serving as what not to do in the future. Now I have learned from all of them and the rules I would have to consciously remember each time I picked up my pen come naturally, replaced instead by deeper rules where I am still growing. My confidence has grown as I have grown. Now all I need to do is sell my work....



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